Into the Hills: Shenandoah National Park

To get from DC and Gettysburg to Roanoke we took Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. At the entrance to Skyline Drive, the only public road through the park, we paid $15 for a 7 day pass. Later we learned about the America Beautiful Senior Pass, a $10  lifetime pass for citizens and permanent residents age 62 or older; it is good for all national parks. We will buy one our next trip to the US. Our drive was pleasant, but the rain clouds obscured the views.

The speed limit on the drive is 35 miles per hour, so we constantly under estimated the time to get from place to place. The low speed limit is protect cars and wildlife from each other. We knew about car-deer collisions; in Shenandoah there are bear- motorcycle collisions.

Wide vistas & small flowers

We stayed at Skyline Lodge; it was more isolating than we anticipated - no wifi and no cell service. Anyone who expected to hear from us didn't. We ate at the lodge restaurant. We had a tomato and goat cheese soup. We ordered a cup, which was hard to finish, because it was unbelievably rich. We also shared plate of cheese, pears, and flatbread - a good choice. As we eyed other diners plates, we reminded ourselves that in US restaurants we should order carefully - otherwise we risk being stuffed or wasting food. The highlight of the lodge was the fresh air - cool and crisp.


We went to a  ranger talk on the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)  a Roosevelt New Deal program for unemployed, single young men. (The men earned $1 a day - $30 of which $25 was sent to their families). In Shenandoah the CCC did the bulk of the physical work involved in building the park. The ranger gave a chatty, informal and informative presentation. I was surprised that not one picture included African Americans. When I asked about African Americans in the CCC I was told that the original units were integrated, but starting in 1935 the CCC camps were segregated. I was disappointed that this was not included in the presentation, and puzzled that Native Americans (who were probably not a major presence in Shenandoah) were mentioned. After the presentation we drove back to the lodge carefully to avoid any deer (gathered at the side of the road) that might stray into the road.

Ranger Joe Bruce with a picture of picnickers dressed in  their Sunday best 

In the morning as we headed out we stopped to take a ranger led hike to Black Rock Summit. We had an intimate hike, the two of us and Ranger Joe Bruce. As I read blogs about the hike I realized that I was meant to be a social scientist not a natural scientist. Ranger Bruce was friendly and informative. What I remember most was information about him. He is a seasonal employee - last winter he worked in the Everglades and then in early May he started work in Shenandoah. I asked about on-the-job training, b/c one of our guides in India was given courses on India's flora and fauna. Apparently in the US rangers rely on their own knowledge and curiosity with some input from colleagues.

See the bare spots on the mountain slopes? If we were at those spots we would be standing on a rock formation similar to that in the picture's foreground.

After leaving the park we went to Roanoke to visit friends. We made an excursion to the Butterfly Garden in the Western Virginia Science Museum. It was a peculiar and disappointing experience. The entry fee was $11 (senior discount - $9 for the museum and $2 for the butterfly garden). We were given a voucher for a return visit - not much use when we were en route to our home in KL. After we paid our admission we were given a sticker and a ticket. We entered an enclosed area an official checked our ticket and explained the rules. Their major worry, a legitimate one, was that butterflies would hitchhike their way to freedom on a visitor. With just four in the exhibit of us the process seemed officious and humorless. The garden had many beautiful tropical plants, none were identified. We were told two species of butterflies were there, but there were no signs to tell which was which or any information about butterflies. There was a young man in a corner reading; he made no attempt to interact with us or tell us about the exhibit. When we left he took our tickets and eyeballed us to make sure that we weren't liberating butterflies. The precautions were necessary, but they didn't make us feel like welcome guests.

Find the butterfly - a bit like Where's Waldo